Parent Blog

Parent Blog

Welcome to ACA's Parents Place blog! The Parents Place blog features tips, information, and advice from ACA, as well as other guest bloggers, on child and youth development, health and safety, and of course - camp.

Homesickness is a fact of life. It is human nature to pine for what is known and comfortable. And a stay at summer camp — even for a seasoned camper — can generate pangs of longing for the comforts of home: the family pet, mom, dad, even a... Read More

Sleepaway camp is a big step for many kids as they grow and learn to become more independent. For parents and kids alike, it can be difficult to decide the right time to take the plunge and start attending a residential camp. While you may feel... Read More

ACA Director of Research Dr. Laurie Browne shares the emerging themes from Phase 1 of the Five Year Impact Study. These preliminary findings point to the numerous ways camp prepares children for college, career, and beyond.

Hello Camp Parents! My name is Missy and I am the database administrator for ACA. In this role, I work with a number of our teams to manage information related to the association’s members. But I am also a mother to a young daughter, Macy, who... Read More

Let me introduce myself. My name is Harriet Lowe and I’ve worked for the American Camp Association (ACA) for almost 16 years—first as the director of communications and now in a part-time role as editor of Camping Magazine, ACA’s official bi-... Read More

Hi parents! My name is Deidre Pettinga and I’m the Chief Marketing Officer for the American Camp Association (ACA). In this role, I work with our communications, business development, and membership teams to support the mission of ACA to enrich... Read More

American Camp Association

About ACA

The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share our knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. Because of our diverse 12,000 plus membership and our exceptional programs, children and adults have the opportunity to learn powerful lessons in community, character-building, skill development, and healthy living — lessons that can be learned nowhere else.